I have been on a Hispanic/Mexican kick in my kitchen lately. I whip up nachos, queso, burritos and other spicy dishes regularly now.

Jamieson (aka Batman) bought me guacamole from Aldi’s recently. (I now LOVE guacamole. Where have you been all my life?!?) On the back of the carton was a recipe for guacamole empanadas. The recipe, as usual, was not vegan-friendly in the least, with 1 pound of ground beef or chicken included in the list of ingredients.

Well, guys and gals, it is Vegan MoFo, so I made vegan guacamole empanadas! Mine aren’t that pretty to look at, but delicious to eat. You can sub the tofu for your favorite mock meat or even beans. Just make sure they are drained properly and are kind of mushy, as it is easier to spread on the dough.

The heat might have us feeling like we are really residents of Texas rather than Pennsylvania.

I know, Texas probably has a dry heat, unlike our latest humidity bubble, but Texas is where I drew inspiration from to make chile con queso.

I chose Texas for my next culinary experiment for 50 States, 50 Vegan Dishes because I have spicy food on the brain. After Cinco de Mayo and the Mission burritos, I realized I have grown to love spicy, Mexican food. This is funny to me, as I never experimented with these flavors before I went vegan and my struggles with IBS prevented my culinary explorations.

But now, bring on the spice!

Chile con queso is popular at Tex-Mex restaurants as an appetizer or side dish, served with tortilla chips. It is usually just spicy, melted cheese, but you can add black beans to the cheese and serve a bowl of guacamole on the side.

I found this super simple recipe by The Food Network and substituted vegan ingredients. I also went with canned chilies and jalapenos because I figured that was the safest bet for me, though fresh can be subbed instead. I also took a tip from the comments and sauteed the veggies before creating the cheese masterpiece.

Wanting to take it to another level of spicy, I used Daiya Jalapeno Garlic Havarti. This blows the dish away. And even though it seems like this dip would be bad for you, one serving is 80 calories.

(This recipe was first featured for Meatout Mondays on the No Sweat, York, blog.)

I love burritos.

With Roburrito’s, Chipotle and Qdoba in the community, you can’t go wrong finding a burrito that is both vegan and hearty.

I eat Roburrito’s so often, some of the workers probably know me by name or by my order (“A vegan potato meal with ginger ale, please.”) I mix it up by going to different locations, so my addiction isn’t pronounced. (Though my favorite to-go is the East Market Street location, and my favorite sit-down place is the one in the New Eastern Market.)

Both places offer a style of burrito called a Mission burrito or San Francisco burrito — so named because it first became popular in the 1960s in the Mission district of San Francisco.

My square burrito. Photo by Bethany Fehlinger

The greatest part of this burrito? It is customizable. A few items are considered staples: a large, flour tortilla, rice, beans and salsa. There also can be a filling, such as a meat, fish, soy meat or potato, and then other add-ins such as sour cream, cheese, avocado or guacamole. Obviously, because I am vegan, there is no animal products or by-products. The burrito is still yummy and filling.

Traditionally it is wrapped in tinfoil and eaten right from there, peeling the layer back as you eat. However, since the homemade burritos are fresh, cut the foil and begin the feast! Plus, I seriously can’t fold a burrito correctly, so I just scarfed these up quickly.

A can of black beans and a cup of brown rice can probably make up to 5 Mission burritos.

Ingredients

1 bag of boil-in-a-bag brown rice

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 container of guacamole

1 jar of salsa, mild

1 package of Daiya cheese, cheddar or mozzarella

1 package of large, burrito-style white tortillas

Recipe

Cook the rice according to the package. It took me 10 minutes to boil the water, and 10 minutes to cook the rice.

Drain and rinse black beans. Place them in a bowl and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds.

Set up your station: Rice in one bowl, beans in another; guacamole, cheese and salsa opened and ready.

Put one tortilla on a plate and place in the microwave for 15 seconds. It makes the tortilla softer and easier to work with. If you have a tortilla steamer, use that instead.

Place close to 1/3 cup of rice in the middle of the tortilla. Place 1/4 cup of beans on top, then 1 heaping tablespoon of guacamole and salsa. Add about 1/8 cup of cheese.

Roll: Fold one side over the center until the filling is two-thirds covered. Tuck in the left and right sides. Roll the covered filling toward the last open side until the burrito is completely covered and rolled.